ANIMAL CONCERN CUMBRIA North Lakes and Solway Branch

Registered Charity
Number 513091

Helping an animal which seems beyond help must be one of the most satisfying things a Vet can ever do – and that certainly proved true for Paragon’s Sam Harding when Animal Concern asked her to look at Amber - a very poorly cat. ‘Amber was severely anaemic and in fact she collapsed at the surgery when she was first brought in,’ says Sam. ‘I suspected she was suffering from leukaemia or feline AIDS and really didn’t think she’d survive. However blood tests for both conditions proved negative, then we did more tests to check her kidneys – and they were also okay.’ So far so good – but the cause of Amber’s anaemia remained a mystery. Sam sent smears off to another laboratory to check for abnormal cells – and this time the results were worrying, showing that Amber’s bone marrow wasn’t producing enough red blood cells. Sam put her on a course of anabolic steroids and because the cat’s teeth were in a terrible condition, and her mouth badly inflamed, she also prescribed antibiotics. The treatment was a success. ‘Fortunately the bone marrow did respond to the steroids,’ says Sam ‘so I believe the chronic inflammation of her mouth had actually caused suppression of the bone marrow function.’ One of Paragon’s other Vets, Catriona Curtis carried out extensive dental work and Amber found herself with a whole new lease of life. She went back to Animal Concern to recuperate – and now she’s been adopted and is enjoying life with a new family.

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